"No, this is just some compensation for not being able to meet all your conditions. I hope you can achieve even better results in next month's Hunting Tournament." Dean Xavier looked at Evan Chu and smiled.
"That's right, Evan Chu, it's because of your outstanding performance that we've made this decision. You should know that a storage ring is extremely precious—it's worth at least a hundred mid-grade Starstones, and even if you have Starstones, you might not be able to buy one." Marcus Gongsun echoed.
"Hunting Tournament? What kind of event is that?" Evan Chu asked curiously.
"Originally, this Hunting Tournament was scheduled for half a year later, but Sea Dragon Academy suddenly proposed to hold it in one month. We could only agree. This Hunting Tournament is extremely dangerous—many people who enter face the risk of death. It's also a form of royal elimination for the students."
"Sea Dragon Academy is participating too? Old man, can you clarify? I know the law of the jungle, but don't tell me Heavenly Dragon Academy loses to Sea Dragon Academy every time."
Dean Xavier's old face flushed as he forced a bitter smile. "That's right, we've lost to Sea Dragon Academy for more than ten years now. It's truly embarrassing. Now, all our hopes rest on you. We hope you can restore the honor of Heavenly Dragon Academy."
"I'll do my best, don't worry!" Evan Chu suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit. He genuinely wanted to see whether Sea Dragon Academy's people were really that formidable.
"The Hunting Tournament allows killing inside. Murder and looting happen all the time, so you can't be careless. Your mentor will explain the details, but just remember—keep yourself alive. After the Hunting Tournament, there will be a direct strength contest between our academy and Sea Dragon Academy's students. Unexpectedly, that's been moved up too."
Evan Chu didn't speak. He looked up at the sky and thought to himself, "If Heavenly Dragon Academy's first place, even with Earth Martial Realm fifth or sixth-level strength, can't win, then Sea Dragon Academy's top expert must be at Earth Martial Realm seventh or even eighth-level.
To win, I must at least break through to the fourth level of the Earth Martial Realm and master the final form of the Chasing Wind Sword Art. Maybe, with the Heart-Sword and that seemingly plain killing sword, I might be able to win. But breaking through to the fourth level in just one month is almost impossible."
Shrinking away from difficulties isn't Evan Chu's style—the harder it gets, the more challenging it becomes.
"Old man, I get it. Give me the key to the Stellar Cultivation Chamber. In a few days, I'll go in to raise my strength. While I'm breaking through, I want you to look after my women and friends, and there's one more person who needs special attention—he should be in the weapon-smithing class, his name is Gabe Goldstone."
"Gabe Goldstone? I know him—he's extremely talented in the weapon-smithing class. I didn't expect him to be your friend. Truly, birds of a feather flock together. We know what to do, so don't worry!" Marcus Gongsun responded cheerfully.
After Dean Xavier handed Evan Chu the key to the Stellar Cultivation Chamber and gave a few more instructions, he and Marcus Gongsun left. Evan Chu returned straight to his cultivation dorm.
Once the door was closed, Evan Chu couldn't wait to put the storage ring on his finger. He'd never seen one before, but he'd heard about them. Now that he'd gotten such a treasure, there was no way he wasn't excited.
He scanned inside with his spiritual sense—there were five or six bottles of pills: for healing, detoxification, even hunger, and each one was third-grade or higher. All good stuff.
There were several martial manuals: three Xuan-tier, two Earth-tier. Also good stuff. If the Sword Spirit hadn't told Evan Chu he would eventually pass him the peerless Ninefold Stellar Transformation, maybe seeing these manuals would have driven him crazy with excitement.
But these martial manuals could be given to Gus Bullard and Jenny Sima for their own cultivation—and of course Gabe Goldstone could get one if he wanted. As for this sworn big brother, Evan Chu hadn't really cared for him yet, so he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
The Soul Snow Grass that Luna, the Sword Spirit, needed was probably in that softly glowing box. Evan Chu sensed a powerful soul force emanating from it.
Finally, there were the Starstones. Evan Chu made a rough count—just the low-grade Starstones came to about a thousand, mid-grade over a hundred, and more than twenty high-grade ones. He was really rolling in wealth now.
With so many Starstones, there was no need to worry about fuel in the Stellar Cultivation Chamber. Plus, the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion egg could hatch even faster now. Everything was moving in a good direction.
Retracting his spiritual sense from the storage ring, Evan Chu grinned. "Time to get some exercise with Jenny Sima. We've failed a few times already—this time, it should work!"
He left his room and headed toward the elite class area. Along the way, he encountered plenty of worshipful or hostile stares, but Evan Chu didn't care at all.
When he arrived at the elite class zone, there were still plenty of people who didn't recognize him. After all, for ordinary class students, going up on the Life-and-Death Platform wasn't a huge deal, and most elite class members hadn't attended.
Heavenly Dragon Academy had a strict rule: ordinary, elite, and inferior class students couldn't freely enter each other's areas. If caught, they'd be severely punished. This was to prevent elite students from bullying those in the ordinary or inferior classes.
Each class had a boundary line outside its area. If you wanted to find someone, you could only wait outside the line. Evan Chu was standing right there now.
"Hey bro, could you call Jenny Sima for me? I need to talk to her." Evan Chu asked a passing male student.
"No time, I have to hurry up and cultivate for next month's Hunting Tournament!" The male student replied and walked off without hesitation.
"Tch! Like you could actually get any results in the Hunting Tournament? Just surviving would be lucky!" Evan Chu shot a contemptuous look at the guy's back.
Soon, a female student passed by. Evan Chu immediately stepped forward, "Beautiful sister, could you call Jenny Sima for me? Just tell her her little brother needs her urgently."
The female student glanced at Evan Chu and smiled. "You must be Evan Chu, right? As handsome as they say. But big sister is busy right now, so you'd better ask someone else!" With that, she walked off without a care.
"Damn, I called you 'beautiful sister' and you look like a dinosaur—what a loss! Just seeing you makes me sick. 'Busy,' huh? Busy my ass!" Evan Chu was getting annoyed; these elite class people were way too arrogant, it was unbearable.
Maybe I should just barge in and find her myself. With my relationship with Dean Xavier, I probably wouldn't get punished too harshly.
Just then, a voice behind Evan Chu nearly made him lose it. "Linfeng, why are you here? Are you looking for me?"
Of course, it was Jenny Sima. After being snubbed twice, she finally showed up—really knew how to pick her moment. But Evan Chu didn't dare get angry; if Jenny found out, she'd laugh herself silly.
"I came to find you. Come on, let's go to my dorm—I have something to tell you!" Evan Chu forced a smile.
"Why can't you just say it here?" Jenny Sima looked at Evan Chu, completely puzzled.
"You'll know soon enough. Come on! I've got something for you!" Evan Chu coaxed her like a child.
Jenny Sima seemed to realize something. Her face instantly flushed red. "You're way too impatient!"